Major Project
Empowering Drivers' Decision to Switch to BEV [Read more]
Find the Right EV Feature
The Find the Right EV feature is targeted at potential EV drivers who are considering to switch to BEV and want to find out if they're suitable. The feature will ask the user to enter some personal information and enter the journeys they've made in the recent year, including commute, social and business trips. The app will process the information and tell if the user is suitable to drive a BEV and why. The data outputted will include reasons why they are suitable, the ownership lifestyle, the breakdown of their journeys and BEV recommendations. The app will also output the crowdsourced data collected by existing BEV drivers using the app, to show the realistic battery range of that particular EV model, rather than the advertised range, which is usually far less accurate. The feature is also suitable for existing BEV drivers looking to find a more suitable BEV model.
Record Joureny Feature
The Record Journey feature is designed for BEV drivers to record the journeys they make on the BEV. The app will record various data about the journey from different sources (the driver, internet & BEV). The data includes the road type, weather condition, temperate, speed (acceleration & brake), time, battery usage, locations, passengers and luggage. Those data will be processed and added anonymously to the crowdsourced data. Users will be able to see the crowdsourced data of any particular BEV model and compare it to their own.
Users can refer back to their profile when they want to get a more accurate battery range estimate. The app will use Artificial Intelligence to process the past journey records and give an estimate close journey done before.
User Storyboard
User storyboard, from being a potential BEV driver to becoming a BEV and using the journey record feature.
Visit the link to view the full-size image:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NgPQ12NHcqSdHFGdgt4tW9t9sOUX6wy7/view?usp=sharing
Affinity Map
An Affinity Map was made at the end of the research process. Data from participants were put into groups to help classification and to make sense of the data.
What BEV Drivers Constantly Feel
From my research, I found some pain points mentioned by BEV drivers about their driving and ownership experience. They feel uncertain because public chargers can be occupied at an uncertain amount of time, or it can be broken, which gives them range anxiety. They also think the BEVs can be unpredictable because of the closure of service stations means they won't be able to charge near the motorway; the weather can also make it difficult to predict the battery range as it often drops quicker than anticipated. Finally, they think BEVs can be unreliable because battery health deteriorates over time, the apps used for public chargers may not work and the possibility of an unsuccessful charge whilst using public chargers.
Nathan Lai
Using the power of crowdsourced data and Artificial Intelligence, this project creates a cohesive system for EV drivers and potential EV drivers.
In 2019, the UK government had declared 'climate emergency', acknowledging the severity of the impact that can be produced by climate change. One of the schemes to reduce emission is the 'Road to Zero' strategy. The aim is to have almost every car and van to be zero-emission by 2050. My goal for this project was to research and design a product that can encourage drivers to switch to BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle).
In this project, I've developed my physical research skills and as well as gained experience in remote research with participants. After gathering the data, different design tools were used for the ideation process, such as Affinity Mapping, How Might We opportunity statements, Trend vs Trend Matrix, etc.
With the help of those tools, I was able to create a system not only to empower the driver's decision to switch but also, to help retain existing BEV drivers by improving their current ownership experience.
In the future, I hope to continue the path to work on meaningful projects that can have a positive impact on society and the environment. My future career aim is to be a Product Manager which allows me to combine my Computer Science technological knowledge with my UX user-centred design skill to create useful, usable and feasible products for stakeholders.
Major Project
Empowering Drivers' Decision to Switch to BEV